29 March - 4 April 2001
Issue No.527
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 29 March - 4 April 2001 Issue No.527 |
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The inevitability of integration
In an interview with Jordan's daily newspaper Al-Dustour on Tuesday, President Hosni Mubarak prescribed a comprehensive and fair peace and closer Arab cooperation as the only recipe for stability and prosperity in the Middle East.
Answering a question posed by Al-Dustour's editor-in-chief about the peace process, President Mubarak cast doubt on the future of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations with Ariel Sharon at the head of Israel's government. "I cannot judge the future situation of negotiations between the Palestinian and Israelis now that Ariel Sharon is Israel's prime minister... We are still assessing the situation to judge [Sharon by his] deeds and [not his words]," Mubarak said.
Taking the peace process back onto the right track, he argued, is conditional on Sharon's attitude. "He has to adopt pro-peace policies" that take into consideration progress achieved during the past years of the peace process, the president said. "The peace process is not going on in a vacuum. The parties need to build on what has been achieved during negotiations with previous Israel governments on the Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian tracks," he added.
Mubarak reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to the cause of peace as the "only way to grant security and stability to all countries of the region... and as the path to be pursued so as to bring violence to an end".
Although he did not say so explicitly, the president seemed to hint at a feeling of anxiety about the future of the peace process and the serious consequences that could ensue if it grinds to a halt. If they are to stand firm against any potential hazards in the region, the Arabs, Mubarak argued, must close ranks and attempt to overcome their problems objectively. The regular annual convocation of the Arab summit as well as the establishment of the joint Arab market, he continued, could help realise this goal and usher in "a new Arab order."
"We, the Arabs, have no alternative but to start working, as hard as we can, to prepare for a strategy of integration... Integration has become inevitable in today's world."
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